Cancer is the number one disease-related cause of death in individuals under 40. Within this age group, there is substantial evidence that adolescents and young adults (AYAs) (defined by the National Cancer Institute as individuals between the ages of 15 and 39) are disproportionately burdened by cancer for several reasons. The proposed project, entitled """"""""An Investigation of the Influence of Socioeconomic Factors on Adolescent and Young Adult Hematopoietic Cancer Outcomes in California,"""""""" seeks to examine socioeconomic (SES) disparities in cancer outcomes and quality of life issues in adolescent and young adult (AYA) individuals with a recent diagnosis with leukemia or lymphoma. Survival analyses will be conducted on California Cancer Registry data to determine whether neighborhood-level SES affects overall and cancer- specific survival these AYA patients. At the individual level, a questionnaire study administered to patients identified through the California Cancer Registry as having been recently diagnosed with leukemia or lymphoma will be conducted. The proportion of patients who were offered participation on a clinical trial, enrolled in a clinical trial, and received the majority of their treatment at a research-based institution will the primary outcome measurements determined. Whether the proportion of these outcomes differs according to person-level socioeconomic indicators will be investigated. The ways in which quality of life, in terms of physical health, psychological and emotional well-being, family and social relationships, and life skills and new experiences have been impacted by cancer in AYA individuals, and whether these effects are attenuated by socioeconomic factors, will also be explored. A qualitative study consisting of focus groups conducted with AYAs will also be undertaken to identify possible additional delivery gaps in treatment, care, and support for these patients.

Public Health Relevance

There is substantial evidence that adolescents and young adults (AYAs;defined by the National Cancer Institute as individuals between the ages of 15 and 39) are disproportionately burdened by cancer for several reasons. The proposed project, entitled """"""""An Investigation of the Influence of Socioeconomic Factors on Adolescent and Young Adult Hematopoietic Cancer Outcomes in California,"""""""" seeks to examine socioeconomic status (SES) disparities in cancer outcomes and quality of life issues in AYA individuals with a recent cancer diagnosis of leukemia or lymphoma.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Center for Chronic Disease Prev and Health Promo (NCCDPHP)
Type
Dissertation Award (R36)
Project #
1R36DP002012-01
Application #
7770305
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZCD1-AWI (12))
Project Start
2009-09-30
Project End
2010-09-29
Budget Start
2009-09-30
Budget End
2010-09-29
Support Year
1
Fiscal Year
2009
Total Cost
$34,935
Indirect Cost
Name
University of California Irvine
Department
Public Health & Prev Medicine
Type
Organized Research Units
DUNS #
046705849
City
Irvine
State
CA
Country
United States
Zip Code
92697
El-Rewaidy, Hossam; Fahmy, Ahmed S (2016) Improved estimation of the cardiac global function using combined long and short axis MRI images of the heart. Biomed Eng Online 15:45
Kent, Erin E; Sender, Leonard S; Morris, Rebecca A et al. (2013) Multilevel socioeconomic effects on quality of life in adolescent and young adult survivors of leukemia and lymphoma. Qual Life Res 22:1339-51
Kent, Erin E; Parry, Carla; Montoya, Michael J et al. (2012) ""You're too young for this"": adolescent and young adults' perspectives on cancer survivorship. J Psychosoc Oncol 30:260-79